This 'Riverdale' Theory Suggests Betty's Mom Is a Witch—and Related to Sabrina Spellman

Riverdale is a spooky show, but it's not supernatural. The elements that make the series scary are purely atmospheric: the lighting, the mysteries, Jughead's beanies. It's a show pretty much grounded in reality.

Or is it? There are several fan theories floating around the Internet right now positing there's a magical undercurrent in Riverdale, and it's specifically linked to the Cooper family—namely, Alice Cooper. Let's just cut to the chase: People think Betty's mom is a witch.

This theory first popped up on Tumblr a few months ago. A user compiled several GIFs showing Alice using witchy language and suggested this as a sign she actually has mystical powers.

"She's constantly using terms like 'brew' and 'banish' and 'witching hour'…and I'm wondering if perhaps she’s the black sheep of the family that doesn’t want to accept her witchcraft lineage and instead decided to shun her family, move away from South Side, marry Hal and build a fresh new life for herself," the user wrote.

GIFs are, admittedly, thin evidence, but things escalated when The CW announced Riverdale's creator, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa‏, is producing a new series about Sabrina Spellman (as in Sabrina the Teenage Witch). He previewed the first script on Twitter, which seemed to tease a satanic ritual witches must undergo if they want to use their powers. Then the connections became clear: What if Alice underwent this ceremony, but then chose to raise her children as mortals? And furthermore, what if the Coopers are actually related to Sabrina Spellman? Both shows will be on The CW, after all, and both have the same creator. The crossovers are there.

This would certainly explain why Betty constantly dug into her skin last season, seemingly suppressing some kind of uncontrollable rage. Another Tumblr theory lays out the connections between Sabrina and the Coopers even more. For one, they look similar: all blond, and hair color is a big indicator of family ties in Riverdale. Also, the aforementioned ritual would explain why Sabrina doesn't live with the Coopers. Sabrina chose to be a witch, and Alice did not.

Of course, this is all hearsay at this point. It would be strange to incorporate magic into Riverdale because it's not that kind of show right now. That being said, who says it can't go in this direction? It's a show based on a comic-book series. Anything is possible.